Two Red Lines
by MyGoldenGlow
Summary: Jisbon/Jello. Jane was forced to leave, but when he returns he finds Lisbon has made a major change in her life. Chapter 10 now up - “Did you just ask me to move in with you?”
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not Mine! **

**Spoilers: None  
**

* * *

He hadn't seen her in two years. Things had kept him busy, an except for the occasional one line e-mail, he hadn't had any contact with her in that time. He hadn't told her he was coming back – he knew it would bother her that he hadn't told her, and he also wanted to see how she'd changed before actually meeting up with her. So he walked in the building and flashed the badge that he knew was very old and probably no good. They didn't pay much attention, and he was waved through. He continued up until he reached their office, and then hesitated outside the door.

The desks looked the same – arranged in the same pattern they always had been. Cho and Rigsby were standing in a corner, looking out the window, talking. They looked the same as they always had – a little older, but for the most part, unchanged. He let his eyes glide over them, deciding that he would spend time analyzing the changes later. Van Pelt was at her desk, focused on whatever she was researching, but even from the back Jane could see her pregnant belly and the flash of a smile she sent Rigsby's way whenever their gazes met. Lisbon was either in her office or not there. Since she had never missed a day of work in all the time he had known her, Jane decided that the office was a pretty safe bet. After all, she would never go after a lead solo.

Finally, he opened the door and grinned widely, "Did you miss me?"

A collection of excited gasps, cries of "How are you?" and one very uncomfortable hug around a very pregnant belly, followed. The door to Lisbon's office remained closed. He was tempted to hurry over, but he wanted a few questions answered about the rest of the team first.

"So, Rigsby, finally make your move?" he asked, his voice teasing as he eyed Grace. They both blushed, but Rigsby pulled Grace closer and smiled.

"You give horrible flirting tips, by the way."

"And Cho, still just as serious I see," he smiled, and the stony agent kept his face locked smooth, his muscles twitching slightly in an effort to keep a straight face.

"Always," he replied.

"And where is our favorite boss?"

"In her office," Cho replied, nodding his head towards the closed door.

Jane smiled and headed towards the door. The other three all separated, knowing that they wouldn't get Jane's attention back until he had talked to Lisbon. If Jane had been paying attention, he would have noticed that there was something they weren't saying. But at the moment, all he cared about was greeting his ex-boss. He paused just outside the door, peering through the blinds for the chance to see her without her knowledge.

She was beautiful. Her hair was just a few inches longer – hardly noticeable – and her face a touch more serious. She hadn't smiled, not for a while, but he would soon rectify that. He took another moment to study her, ignoring the strange looks he was sure the rest of the team was shooting him. He wanted to savor this moment, in case she was angry with him for leaving. He took in everything about her that he could, and then opened the door.

"Have you closed any cases without me, or are you still hopelessly in need of my help?"

He was rewarded with a brilliant smile, and a millisecond hug. It was more than he had expected from her, and his response was a little slow. Still, he enjoyed a brief moment in her arms.

"How have you been?" she asked, leading him to sit on the couch – his couch! – in her office.

"Not bad, you know," he shrugged. He had paid his debt – protected her and paid the price, but it all seemed worth it now.

"Yeah." She gave a half-smile. She opened her mouth to say something else, but then he froze. There, shining in a ray of sunlight, out in the open, he saw it. Her beauty was marred by a thin band of gold, encircling her finger.

* * *

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the second chapter, although it doesn't end here. **

**Recap:** _Her beauty was marred by a thin band of gold, encircling her finger._

_

* * *

_

The grin dropped off his face. She followed his gaze and blushed, standing up quickly and attempting to pull the ring off.

"Oh, I, well," she said, flustered. He rose too, and stilled her hands.

"Don't," he told her, separating them and bringing the one with the offending object even closer to him, examining it.

"Jane," she began, caution and sorrow in her tone.

"No, it's fine. I was just surprised, that's all. It's been a long two years, I guess." He struggled to smile. "So, who's the lucky guy then?"

"Stop it," she snapped, pulling her hand back. "I knew you'd act like this, that's why I never wanted to tell you."

"Act like what? I just want to know who my boss married. I'd say friend, but friends keep one another updated on the important things, you know." The words came out without him meaning to, and he bit his lip, "I'm sorry, Lisbon, I…" _I didn't want to start with a fight._

"No, you're right. I tried calling, but I guess whatever you were doing was more important. I just thought an e-mail wasn't meant for that kind of news. And then I decided it was better without you knowing, since I wasn't sure when I'd see you again, _if_ I'd see you again. And I knew you'd just…" she sighed in exasperation and slumped back down on the sofa.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, sitting next to her. "Will you tell me who he is? I really do want to know who my _friend_ is married to." The words were hard to say. After everything they had been through, and everything he had lost when he left, he felt shocked and betrayed at the thought of her marrying another man. Not that he'd planned on marrying her – but they had been getting there. Maybe they would have lived together, boyfriend/girlfriend like.

"You wouldn't know him. He's a childhood friend. We met up again a year ago, got married last month."

"You know, for being a newlywed, you don't act very happy or in love."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get mad, Lisbon. It's just that most newlyweds get a look in their eyes and their voice gets all soft whenever they mention their spouse. They also have an air of happiness about them – and you just look sad."

"Don't analyze me." She paused, controlling her temper, "Maybe my current emotions are just covering up those mushy-gushy feelings you think everyone has."

"Don't get so testy," he interrupted, but she continued to talk over him.

"Maybe you're just rusty."

"My skills are perfectly fine, thank you very much. And I can read you like a book. There's something you're not telling me."

"Well, I don't tell you a lot of things."

"I could hypnotize you and make you tell me." But even as he said it, he knew he wouldn't. He may have changed over two years, but not that much.

"You wouldn't dare. I'd never let Minelli hire you again."

"Is he hurting you?" he asked suddenly, deciding that the direct approach would be best. It skipped around any annoying prodding, and with Lisbon he would get the answer in a matter of moments.

* * *

**Review!**

**Chapter 3 preview**

_She hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of lying through her teeth, and decided it wouldn't be worth it."Yes"_


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow - I never thought this story would get so large a response. Thanks - hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. **

**Disclaimer - unfortunately, I still don't own a thing  
**

**Recap: **_"Is he hurting you?" he asked suddenly, deciding that the direct approach would be best. It skipped around any annoying prodding, and with Lisbon he would get the answer in a matter of moments. _

_

* * *

_"Wha – NO!" she moved to stand up, but found her hands held tightly in his. He was staring intently into her face.

"Does he drink – do drugs?"

"No!"

"Look at me," he told her, his fingers pressed against her wrist.

"Stop playing that pulse trick – let go of me!" she added when he still refused.

"No. Come on Lisbon, don't you trust me? I'm only trying to help."

She eyed him, and decided that despite the two years, Patrick Jane had not changed all that much. Although she would never admit it out loud, there was still no way she would win an argument with him. Sighing she let herself get comfortable and she looked at her, exasperation all over her face.

"Alright, let's get this over with."

"Good," he smiled. He could get to the bottom of this easily enough – he hoped. "Does he do drugs?"

"No."

"Is he breaking the law?"

"No." her tone was just begging to let her shout, but she was keeping it in check. He racked his brains for another reason as to why someone would be unhappily married.

"Did he force you into it?"

"Nope." She seemed to be enjoying his confusion now.

"You aren't lying, but your heart is beating faster than it should," he murmured. A momentary look of horror flashed on Lisbon's face, and she yanked her hands free of his now slack grip.

"Alright, I've had enough of the 20 questions. As much as I've missed you, go bother someone else. Give Van Pelt tips on how to raise a baby or something."

"Are you pregnant?" he burst out, leaping from the chair to look her in the eye.

"That is the most ridiculous," she began, but the blush creeping up her cheeks ruined her indignation.

"Oh my god – you are. Is that why you married him – because you're going to have a baby?"

"I'm not going to – "she tried again, but he interrupted her once more.

"Really, Lisbon? Are you keeping it? How far along are you? Didn't you use protection? This really isn't like you."

She hesitated, weighing the pros and cons of lying through her teeth, and decided it wouldn't be worth it. "Yes, yes, two months, yes."

He paused, eying her, then hurried around her desk and put his hand on her stomach.

"Jane!" she pulled back automatically, but his other hand was already resting on her back, preventing motion. "Jane, you aren't going to feel him kicking."

"He?" He smiled, "You aren't far enough along to know for sure."

"Well I'm not calling my baby an 'it'!" Lisbon protested, her hand automatically resting on top of Jane's as she thought about the life inside of her. "Besides, I'm used to raising boys. It's just natural to call him a him."

"Is_ she_ his?" he asked, intentionally mocking her use of the masculine.

"Yes," she replied, ignoring his teasing, "Kevin is the father. I don't cheat on my boyfriends, even if it's not officially a relationship."

He had never taken her for a cheater. She followed the rules too closely, was too much a fan of doing everything right and bringing justice to the world. He nodded and let her go, moving to leave the office. He paused at the door.

"Lisbon, why not just be a single mother? It's pretty obvious you didn't want to marry Kevin. Unless it's because you want your kid to grow up in a proper family. Trying to give her a better life than you had? You think that if she has a mother and a father, then she'll be happier. Be a better person."

She looked up at him, "Kevin was raised to be a gentleman. Hold the door for the ladies, walk them to their car, and give up your seat. You know. So he didn't want to leave me alone. And he works from home, so he can take care of the little one when I'm away. And I like him. I never expected to get married anyway, because I wasn't sure that I would ever love someone for so long. But we've been known each other for forever, and I like him a lot, and he's nice."

"Nice as a friend nice. Not mad, passionately in love with him nice."

"What did you want me to do, Jane? Wait around until you decided to come back and make your move on me? I have a life – I'm not going to spend two years pining after you if you don't even care to send more than one phrase e-mails!"

"I left to protect you!" he burst out angrily.

* * *

**I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised that no one thought the teaser was a trick - but that was the point :)**

**Chapter Preview(s)**

_"I'm not scared of a serial killer out for revenge."_ **AND**

"_I cannot believe that you, of all people, are suggesting that I cheat on my husband."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! I really can't believe how many I've gotten. Hope you like this chapter as much as the others :)**

**Recap: **_"I left to protect you!" he burst out angrily._

* * *

"I'm not scared of a serial killer out for revenge, Jane."

"Not Red John! Well, he was interested, but he would have waited until after you and I were in a relationship." He ignored the shocked look on her face and continued. "There were three complaints against the unit. All because of me. And…they needed someone to blame. Minelli couldn't fire me – not since I've closed so many cases. They were out for _blood_, Lisbon. So I had a choice." He had never meant to tell her this. That had been the agreement he had made, after all, but he would rather risk the chance of never working with the CBI again than lose her completely. "I could either leave the CBI, and California, until things calmed down, or stay, and…" he didn't want to tell her this. He knew exactly how she would take it, but there was no other way to make her understand. "If I stayed, Minelli had to promise that there would be a new way of handling things here - a new set of rules. And…and a new head of the unit."

Lisbon looked as though she had just been shot. Her body slumped back into her chair, and she felt a wave of emotions press down on her. Guilt and shock were definitely the strongest, but comprehension also came. It explained why he had never said goodbye, just sent an e-mail saying:

Changed my mind – I don't like this anymore. Maybe see you later. Good luck

-Jane

"Oh," she managed to say.

"I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye." Even now, Lisbon thought wryly, he could read her mind. "I was going to, but if they decided to come after the CBI anyway, then people might have found out the truth. It was better if it was only me who knew."

"Always wondered why your e-mails were so boring," Lisbon smiled softly. "You know it doesn't change anything Jane. I'm still married. And pregnant."

"So I don't get a second chance? Everyone deserves a second chance, Lisbon."

"I can't just leave him. He's sweet, he cares about me. We aren't in 'mad passionate love'," she imitated him, "but we both accept that. And we like each other, and we rarely fought, so it's not like we'll fight now."

"But if the marriage isn't based on love than why can't we still be together? He won't be jealous, will he?" pleaded Jane, desperate for the chance to create the same feelings that had been running around two years prior.

They had been close, even closer than they once were. The teasing had become much more sexual. They danced through the day, getting closer and closer to the other without actually touching, seeing who could get the closest without invading the personal bubble too much. Lisbon always won, because Jane didn't care how close she got to him, and she always shoved him away before he got too close. In the weeks right before his departure, however, he had noticed that she permitted him to get a lot closer to her than ever before. He had been planning to move just a bit closer at the end of the case – to give them both a chance to touch one another – to maybe even kiss one another.

He hadn't gotten over his wife and child's murders, but he was sure that Lisbon would accept that. And he was sure that if Red John came after her, she would be able to protect herself better than his innocent family. He had come into the building, all intent on taking another step with Lisbon, and then Minelli had informed him that he had to go, or destroy Lisbon's career. So of course he had left. But now that he had returned, he found the one woman with whom he wanted to try again with, pregnant, and married. Married to a man she didn't love, which only made it worse. If she had been happy, he would have been able to find some contentment in the fact that _she_ was content. And although she wasn't _un_happy, she certainly wasn't brimming with joy.

"I cannot believe that you, of all people, are suggesting that I cheat on my husband."

He had forgotten how fond of the rules she was. If she wasn't even willing to turn a blind eye for his vengeance – which she had once told him she thought he deserved – how could he even think that she would ignore the rules of marriage?

"Right, yeah, that would be wrong." His lips twitched into half of a smile.

"Yes. Very," she acknowledged, her face completely serious. Then she paused, murmured, "Oh God," and took a step towards the office door, but Jane was standing in the way. She didn't have the time to get him to move and make it to the bathroom, so instead she turned to the trashcan and got violently sick, despite the fact that she hadn't eaten much in the past four days. Understanding flashed on Jane's face, and Lisbon remembered that he, too, had a family. No doubt his wife had been struck with the same problem.

His hands rubbed tiny circles on her back. She had pulled her hair back that morning, with the knowledge that this event was sure to happen during the day. Her stomach was heaving, although not much was actually coming up. Finally she stopped, taking deep breaths.

"So you've reached _that_ point," Jane said, and Lisbon could hear the smile that was sure to be on his face. Anger and frustration gave her the energy to slam her elbow backwards, and it struck him in his stomach. He stumbled backwards, with a cry of, "That _HURT_!"

"Serves you right." She turned to her desk, where a bottle of Listerine was waiting inside the drawer. She didn't spit it out, but instead swallowed, and wrinkled her nose. "If I keep throwing up every time I eat something, how am I supposed to stay on a healthy diet for this little one?"

"It'll pass. Trust me."

"You would know," she smiled wryly, and then paused, glancing up at him. They had fallen into their routine easily enough, but she still wasn't sure how much she could say about starting a family without upsetting him. Had he moved on at all, or was he still full of the raw pain he had carried with him for several years.

"I'm not going to break, Lisbon. If I got mad at every happy family I'd go crazy."

"You already are."

Their smiles matched as he followed her out of the office. The three agents outside let out a breath they hadn't known they'd been holding, and let their faces mirror the two in front of them.

* * *

**fin. **

**I know it's not _exactly_ Jisbon, but I can't make her leave her husband so suddenly.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**What can I say - I am a sucker. The begging thing just wears me down :) The style of the story will change a bit. Not sure quite how it will work out, but there might be time gaps between each chapter. I think it'll work out though. **

**Disclaimer: I wish, i really do, but i don't own a thing.  
**

* * *

"Please tell me you are not eating that," Jane announced as he entered the room. Lisbon, in reply, wrinkled up her nose at him.

"If you're going to be mean, go outside. I am so not in the mood."

Jane, however, continued on as if she hadn't spoken. "I mean, my wife had some weird cravings. Like a desperate need for hot fried doughnuts at one am. But I've never seen anyone do that before. Did you make that, 'cause I have to admit, I can't imagine you in the kitchen."

Lisbon glared, a half-eaten chocolate covered piece of bacon resting on the desk. "Kevin made it, if you must know. And it's the only thing that hasn't made the return trip, so I could really care less what you think of it."

"Aww, that's so sweet. Did he make it at one am, though?"

"Stop playing the 'I'm a better husband' card, Jane." She rolled her eyes. Whatever Kevin did for her, Jane always mentioned something better he had done for his wife. It was the main reason the two men had never met. Besides the fact that the timing just never worked out, and that the tensions would be very high, Lisbon shuddered to think about the state her husband would be in after he met Jane.

"So do I call you Lisbon or…?"

"Lisbon," she said firmly. It would be too strange to try to make everyone call her a different name – and since the marriage wasn't as traditional as most (no white dress, no party, just Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt and a whole lot of official papers), she didn't feel the need to change her name.

"If you did change it, what would you be called?"

"I am not telling you his last name so that you can look it up and find out all of his innermost secrets," Lisbon informed him, keeping her eyes on her paperwork. Jane frowned, annoyed that she had seen through him so easily.

"I'll meet him eventually."

"I'm sure you will," she agreed sweetly, taking another bite of the strange concoction.

"You know, it's said that women who have stranger cravings have an unhappy home life and aren't in love with their partner." He grinned innocently at the glare that was sent his way. "Just, thought you'd be interested. Those are some preeetty strange cravings there, Lisbon."

"If you turn me into one of your made up statistics again in an effort to convince me to get divorced, I will make _you_ handle all of my mood swings, and sore feet, and _you_ can wake up at 1 AM to make me whatever I want and _you_ can deal with the baby when he cries all night long and _you_ can change his diapers and _you_ can handle him when he's teething and _you_ can potty train him and _you_ – "

"Okay, Okay," Jane held up his hands in mock surrender, backing up towards the door. "My lips are sealed. I won't mention how children of unhappily married parents are more likely to start doing drugs, or get pregnant as teenagers, or drop out of school…"

"And _you_ can pay for his rehab, child, and tutors!"

* * *

**Review!**

**Preview: **_"Lisbon! And you said you weren't going to cheat on Mr. I'm-so-gentlemanly-I'm-going-to-marry-my-best-friend-'cause-I-got-her-pregnant!"_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't really own anything :( so most definitely not the Mentalist. **

* * *

"Jane," Lisbon called out as he made his way towards the door. He turned around and looked at her, waiting for her to continue. A blush rose in her cheeks and she bit her lip. "Uhm," she said, sounding very much like a girl asking her crush to a movie, "I was going to go home and make some cookies. Wanna help?"

"What kind?" he asked, stalling.

"I'm not sure. It's kind of a 'whatever I have a craving for at the moment' cookie." She smiled and shrugged. He grinned brightly.

"I would be honored. Is the lovely Mr. Kevin I-don't-know-his-last-name going to be there?"

"Don' t worry, I made sure he was working late tonight."

"Almost as if you're sneaking me in, Lisbon! And you said you weren't going to cheat on Mr. I'm-so-gentlemanly-I'm-going-to-marry-my-best-friend-'cause-I-got-her-pregnant!"

"If you don't want to come then don't!" she snapped, grabbing her coat angrily. "You don't have to be so mean, Jane. He knows you and I are friends and he knows I'm going to be faithful to him. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Sorry," he told her, backing up over the line he had crossed moments before. "I will gladly help you make cookies, Lisbon, and I promise not to be too mean to your daughter's father."

"It's not a girl, Jane."

"How do you know? You aren't far enough along yet to know for sure."

The frown she gave him lasted most of the car ride to her apartment.

"Do you live here with him?" he asked, his voice kept purposefully light as he followed her up the stairs and into the cozy, but small, two-bedroom.

"He still has his own place. It's bigger than this, but…"

"But you don't want to give this one up. There's enough room to start out with, for a baby. Not if you plan on having more kids…" he trailed off, eying her. She shrugged.

"I didn't really plan on having her…him!" she glared at him, but this time a hint of a smile played on her face.

___

The basic cookie batter was made – Lisbon had changed into jeans and a tee shirt, leaving her feet bare. Jane took off his shoes as well, making up for the height difference automatically. They spent a good hour staring at the butter and willing it to soften up faster before Jane had the brilliant idea to put it outside where it was a lovely 93°F. Then, Lisbon had managed to spill quite a lot of vanilla on the counter top, and even more of it in the batter.

"It's fine!" she told him firmly. "It'll be fine."

"You ruined it," he accused, pouting.

"A little vanilla never hurt anything."

"That was most definitely not _a little_ vanilla."

But the batter was finally made and Jane stood by with a large spoon, ready to fold in whatever Lisbon was desperate for today. She wandered the kitchen, opening cabinets and eying half eaten boxes of cereal. He had managed to convince her that uncooked pasta would not work, and that cooking it before adding would also be a disaster. Pasta sauce had received the same treatment. Finally, she pounced on a package of cheese, and refused to let go. Grudgingly, he stirred in the cubes she had cut. She also added pepperoni to the mix. He winced, his stomach already feeling queasy.

"Really, Lisbon? Chocolate seems to go so much better with sweet cookie batter, don't you think?"

"Who's pregnant, Jane?" she asked sweetly. He smiled and continued stirring, remembering his promise not to make a fuss.

"Mr I'm-running-away-from-the-scary-mentalist better appreciate the fact that he doesn't have to make these," he muttered.

They got out spoons to scoop the dough out, but that quickly fell by the wayside. Jane sculpted a very messy 'L' out of dough, and not to be outdone, Lisbon made a 'J'. Jane followed with a 'B', explaining that it was for 'Baby'. Lisbon added another 'B' for 'Baby Boy' and Jane fashioned the world's strangest looking 'G' for 'Baby Girl'. Lisbon added a 'P' for Patrick, and he added a 'T' for Theresa. 'C' 'R' and 'VP' also made an appearance, as well as 'K' 'W' and another 'G'. Finally, all out of pans and batter, they stuck the mess that hardly resembled any intelligible letters into the oven and washed up.

Neither noticed that in their fun, they had left 'K' for 'Kevin' out.

* * *

**Review!**

**Preview:** "_You must be Kevin," Jane smiled._


	7. Chapter 7

**Continued from last chapter**

**Disclaimer: Not Mine!**

**Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much :)  
**

**

* * *

**Jane was slumped on the couch, watching as Lisbon poked their "cookies" apprehensively with a knife. After being in the oven for only ten minutes, the edges of the cookies had turned absolutely black, while the centers were still as gooey as they had been when the whole mess started.

"Well that idea failed. Told you you weren't any good in the kitchen!"

"Shut up, Jane. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm kinda off food at the moment."

"Queasy again?" he asked, finally getting up and helping Lisbon scrape off the disgusting mess into the trashcan. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"That implies that I stopped at one point. I cannot wait to get over this."

"Some women never do – they're sick until they give birth." At her look he added, "shutting up now."

Despite Lisbon's fears, it seemed that being around her hadn't caused any unhappy memories for Jane. Instead, he seemed to be benefiting from being around two pregnant women. She wasn't about to lie and say he was completely fine with it – she hadn't missed the heartbroken glances he occasionally sent her way, or the longing in his eyes whenever Rigsby and Van Pelt giggled together over their baby's movements.

She sighed at the thought of Van Pelt. She should have been on leave two weeks ago, but the case load was never ending and a replacement was nowhere in sight. Of course, Grace had been resigned to desk duty only, but it didn't change the fact that the poor woman was practically due to deliver any day, and she was still showing up at work.

"Something wrong?"

"Just work stuff. Van Pelt should be at home resting, but no one can replace her, and the number of cases seems to have doubled, and we're going to be short two people."

"You aren't leaving for a while yet though, right?" he asked, sounding very much like a lost little boy.

"No, but Minelli doesn't want me going near guns or dangerous suspects until after the little guy is nice and born. And Kevin is over protective of course. Well, you are too," she added, flicking a cookie crumb his way. He grinned wickedly, and she backed up, hands held up in surrender. "Come on, Jane. You wouldn't hurt a pregnant lady would you?" He advanced on her with a handful of slimy batter in his hand. She was cornered and, despite her protests, wasn't making too great of an effort to get out.

Jane used one hand to grab her arms and the other to smear the gooey mess into her hair.

"Jane!" she screamed, lunging for him. "You are a dead man!" The sound of the door opening interrupted her vengeance however, and her laughter.

"Tessie?" Lisbon winced visibly, and then forced a smile on her face.

"In the kitchen. Jane came over to help with some cookies. They didn't turn out so well." To Jane she hissed, "Be nice!"

"Tessie?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was five, Jane."

A man turned the corner and smiled at his wife, who definitely looked a sight. Jane eyed him carefully. He had skin the color of caramel, his eyes were large and brown, his hair jet black. He wasn't too handsome, with his nose slightly crooked and too large for his face, but he wasn't bad looking either.

"You must be Kevin," Jane smiled, holding out his clean hand to shake. The man shook his hand easily enough, but Jane didn't let go. "You lived with your mother for a very long time, didn't you? Even now you still call her every day and she picks out your clothes." He wasn't even sure what he was saying, but Jane was desperate to get under his skin.

"Uh – No," the man replied hesitantly, not quite sure how to handle Jane. He remembered Lisbon telling him to avoid Patrick Jane at all costs, and he was pretty sure he knew why.

"You have a younger sister but you were never close. You hated babysitting her and you used to just put her in her room and lock the door so you could hang out with your friends. Not very good parenting material there, Kevin." He paused then changed tactics. "Are you going to take care of her?" he asked, nodding at a furious Lisbon. "You promise not to hurt her? You don't look like a very trustworthy man. After all, you got her pregnant and you weren't even properly dating."

"Jane!" Lisbon hissed. She reached for his arm and suddenly his hand relaxed and a wave of pain shot through him. Oh how he hated pressure points. "You were just leaving, weren't you?" she told him, her voice icy. All the joy had left it, leaving only tension and anger.

"I don't see why you're so against me meeting your husband, Tessie."

"_That's_ why," she informed him, shoving him towards the door.

"But I left my shoes," he began.

"Tessie, it's okay, he doesn't have to leave," Kevin began, feeling very much like the third wheel in the relationship.

"Yes he does. Someone needs to go home and meditate on all the reasons why he isn't going to mention this tomorrow at work." As Jane's feet left the threshold, she shoved the door shut and locked it. "See you tomorrow Jane!"

"Goodnight Tessie!"

Jane waited a moment, and then looked through the peephole from the outside. His heart shattered a little when he saw Kevin giving Lisbon a kiss, not caring that he was getting his work clothes dirty with cookie batter.

Sighing, he made his way downstairs and left the apartment complex, turning to head down the street in search of a ride home. He was debating calling Cho and telling him to pick him up, when a loud thud echoed in his ears. Looking around, he saw his shoes, neatly tied together, resting beside him. A small scrap of paper was inside.

_If you EVER call me Tessie again you will regret the day you ever set eyes on Kevin! PS I want chocolate chips._

Jane smiled and put on his shoes, tucking the note into his pocket. He dialed Cho's number and waited for him to pick up. He had cookies to bake.

* * *

**Review!**

**PREVIEW: **_"Do I look like a three year old to you?"_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: If I owned the Mentalist, all of my stories would instead be screenplays. **

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"It's a girl, isn't it? I'm right, aren't I? I was right all along and you were wrong!" Jane had not stopped pestering her since Lisbon walked in the door. He had met her outside, with the pretense of holding the door for her, but instantly started questioning her about the results of her ultrasound.

"Jane, I will tell you when everyone gets in so I only have to make the announcement once," she informed her, keeping her voice calm. The undertone of annoyance was obvious, even to someone who was not a mentalist, but she wasn't trying very hard to conceal it. It never seemed to bother Jane that he was bothering her, so why not let him know?

"Everyone _is_ in," he protested. "Except for Cho and Rigsby, and Van Pelt's replacement, but other than them, everyone else is here."

She didn't even dignify that with a response, and instead hung up her coat and opened the blinds, letting the light in. She moved toward the kitchen and started to prepare coffee.

"If you're so good at what you do, you should already know what my baby's gender is."

"Well, I do. But I'm just waiting for you to confirm it."

"I am not going to tell you if he or she is a he or a she." Lisbon spoke slowly, careful not to let anything slip in her response. She was regretting ever telling Jane that she was going to get an ultrasound yesterday after work.

"Look, I already know it's a girl, so why don't you just tell me I'm right and then I'll leave you alone?" he pleaded.

"Because you are so much more amusing when you are like this," she informed him, brushing past him to return to her office. She almost succeeding in shutting and locking the door, but he slipped in at the last second.

"Just one little word and I'll leave you alone! I promise! Pinky swear! Cross my heart!"

"Maybe if you actually stuck a needle in your eye," Lisbon told him, gathering up files of completed, semi-completed, and never-been-touched paperwork and shuffling them under the pretense of doing something important and work related.

"Got a needle?" he replied, holding out his hand. His response had the desired effect when she wrinkled her nose and cried,

"Jane!" The violent shove he got had not been part of his plan, but he took it in stride.

"They won't come in until 8! That's not fair!"

"Jane, its 7:45. Three year olds can wait fifteen minutes for something."

"Do I look like a three year old to you?"

_YES!_

_Deep, calming breaths Lisbon. No need to panic, no need to take out your gun and shoot that smug little grin off his face. You are calm, cool, and collected. _

"Closing your eyes doesn't make me go away."

_I WILL KILL HIM!_

"Fine!" she snapped, unable to resist any longer. It was one thing to make him wait, but quite another to risk her sanity to do so.

"So I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes, you were right, it's a girl," she told him, her weariness seeping into what should have been an excited tone.

He grinned brightly at her and scurried out of the office. Seconds later, he returned with at least sixteen pink balloons, and a box that looked suspiciously like it was holding a cake. She couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face, just as she couldn't stop the blush that was staining her cheeks.

"You knew all along," she accused, but there was no malice in her voice.

"Well, since I'm always right, you should have trusted me. Go on, open it," he grinned, handing her the box and letting the balloons drift up to spread across her office, creating a mess of ribbons dangling down from the ceiling.

She grinned and opened the box, looking very much like a small child. Jane wished he had a camera, if only because that expression of complete joy came so rarely to Lisbon's face.

"You remembered," she smiled brightly. Inside the box was a large chocolate chip cookie, iced in pink and white, with the exclamation, "It's a Girl!" written in perfect cursive. "Thank you," she told him, her voice softening as she gazed down at the cake. She wouldn't say it, but she knew that he knew she was thinking of how hard it must have been for him to do this after he had lost his own daughter. The blue balloons for Van Pelt had been simpler – still painful, but a detached, general loss type of pain, instead of the emotional connection she was sure he was having now. After all, his daughter had still been at the age where everything had to be in pink, and even a touch of the color probably reminded Jane of what he had lost.

"It was worth it," he told her, by way of explaining.

"What if it was a boy?" she asked, breaking off a piece of the cookie for each of them.

"But I knew it wasn't." She frowned at him, disbelief coloring her glare. He swallowed the bite he had taken and admitted, "Alright, I did bake an extra cookie, just in case. But I knew I was right. It was a precautionary thing."

"Riiight. You had absolutely no idea. You were just guessing."

"No! Well, a little. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe. Yes. But!" he added at her victorious grin, "It was a very educated guess."

"Oh yeah? Based on what?"

"The fact that whenever you say something and I say the opposite, I'm always right." He smiled sweetly, backing up. "Alright – I'll just leave you to your cookie then, and I'll be out here, in the middle of the room, where anybody could see you if you decided to shoot me."

* * *

**Review!**

**PREVIEW: ** "Are you actually asking me about my sex life, Jane?" she asked in disbelief.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry that it's so short - but I promise next time I will give you a nice, long(ish) chapter full of Jisbon/Jello (whichever you prefer to call it). In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this. **

**Disclaimer: Nope :( I didn't become a millionaire over night and buy The Mentalist.  
**

* * *

It was mocking her. Sitting there, in a perfect pile, just waiting for her to touch it so that it would start multiplying into hours and hours of work. She glared, as if that would somehow make the dreaded thing disappear from her desk.

"Having a fight with your paperwork, Lisbon?" He was too cheerful in the morning – too wide awake. She groaned and let her hand fall down onto her desk. She needed coffee. She was tempted to go and make herself a cup, but for the fact that the stubborn little girl inside of her was too damn vulnerable to introduce caffeine.

"Could you talk any louder?" she asked, then frowned, "No, forget I mentioned it."

"Long night with Kevvy-Darling?"

She looked up at him, her face full of curiosity more than anger. "Are you actually asking me about my sex life, Jane?" she asked in disbelief.

"You have a dirty mind, Lisbon."

"You started it." She stood up and grabbed the large stack of papers, heading for what used to be Van Pelt's desk. She dropped the pile down next to an equally large pile and sighed contentedly.

"That's cheating. Poor Jessica."

"I don't see you offering to do any of it. It's not that bad. If she's smart she'll give it to Rigsby. He doesn't ever notice that his pile is always bigger than everyone else's. As long as he has something to eat he'll just work 'til he's finished."

"OOO!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

"You're showing!" He trapped her between his hands again, much like he had done when he first learned she was pregnant. This time, however, his hand had to cup around the small bump in her stomach.

"I know," she told him, smiling dreamily. "It's so strange. There's a baby inside of me. Right there," she rested her hand on top of his. "A little tiny life. Can you imagine?"

"There," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"You look like a mother."

* * *

**Review!**

**PREVIEW: "**Did you just ask me to move in with you?"


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back, with the final chapter! If Lisbon seems a little out of character, blame the hormones. Really. **

**For those of you who were asking: **

**Jello is another name for the Lisbon/Jane pairing. Some people like Jello better than Jisbon.I didn't create it, and I'm not really sure who did. lil smiles explains more in the story "Good Father" if you want more info.  
**

**In the last chapter, Van Pelt was away on maternity leave, and Jessica is her replacement. Sorry if you were confused. **

**In case anyone didn't know, the title refers to the two pink/red lines in a positive pregnancy test.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Thanks for all of the reviews! I never thought this story would be so popular. **

**This chapter is dedicated to PhoenixWytch**

**And now you finally get to read it.  
**

* * *

"Lisbon?" he murmured, careful not to disturb the calm that had settled around the room.

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"mmm."

He sighed and continued toying with her hair, running his fingers through it, gently untangling any knots. Kevin had left for the last conference he would ever have to take and, despite Lisbon's protests, had refused to leave her home alone. Of course, Jane had volunteered to stay over while he was gone.

"I know you said it was Kevin's idea to get married."

Lisbon sighed and forced herself to sit up. They had been resting on the couch, Jane sitting on one end with Lisbon stretched out, her head resting in his lap. Now, at 25 weeks, she looked significantly more pregnant, and he was caught between wanting to smile and wanting to cry whenever he looked at her stomach.

"Yeah?"

"But why did you agree to it?"

She hesitated. Jane let her think over the question, waiting impatiently to either get an answer or get slapped.

"I've always thought that I would eventually start a family. I didn't plan on it happening now, but I always planned on having a husband, kids, house, white picket fence. You know – the whole thing. And…and I…you…"

"You wanted to start a family with me?"

She blushed, "Not exactly. I mean, I know you still love your wife, but I wanted to maybe…I dunno. Try."

He thought about it. Living with Lisbon, waking up every morning to see her face, spending time with her whenever he wanted – that he could picture easily. But actually being married to her, not so much.

"I don't know that I could…I don't think I can handle _marrying_ again, but I would love to get a house and with a white picket fence with you." His small joke had the desired effect, and she smiled.

"Marriage wasn't exactly in the picture for you," she admitted. "But then you left." Whatever levity he had brought to the conversation was killed as she spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't look so sad. If those eyes look any more hurt I won't be able to look at you." Her lips twitched, and he struggled to shove back the pain he knew he was showing. He hadn't meant to ruin her dream of starting a family. If anything, he had wanted to protect it.

"Anyway, then Kevin came. His work had transferred here, and we met up. We sort of started dating. It wasn't quite boyfriend/girlfriend, but it was more than friends. And then..." she shrugged her shoulders, another blush staining her cheeks. "And I found out I was pregnant, and he asked me to marry him, and it was like I had another chance to have my little family. And yes," she added with a smile, "I realize how corny that sounds. But I didn't think you were coming back, and I didn't like anyone else. And I had a baby, and a husband, and we could get a nice house later on, and it could be just like I always wanted. So I said yes. And it feels wrong to just tell Kevin 'I'm sorry, but something better came along and now I'm dumping you'. I mean, marriage is about staying together, and I promised to stay with him. For better or worse."

Jane wasn't quite sure how to reply. "Couldn't Kevin not be your husband? I mean, Lisbon, when have you ever followed the conventional way of doing things? You're the head of your own police unit – if you wanted the pretty little family you would have learned how to cook and clean. So, can't you, just…not be married to him, and still visit with him? Since you guys aren't in,"

"Mad passionate love?" she interrupted with a grin.

"Exactly," he was more than grateful to her for releasing the tension. "Since you guys aren't in mad passionate love, then the divorce wouldn't be crazy, or disruptive. And your little bundle of joy could live with Kevvy-Sweetheart and you could live with me, and she could stay with us when we got home. Kevin could move into an apartment in the building, and problem solved. No white picket fence, but we can worry about that later. I mean, I know you feel like you're betraying Kevin, and the whole marriage thing, but it won't feel like that to him, and I hate to tell you, but eventually, you guys are probably going to break up anyway, or be really miserable. So you'll only be hurting him worse than if you split now. And you guys might not even get hurt if you split now. So everyone wins." When she said nothing Jane added, "Yay!"

"Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you just ask me to move in with you? To leave my husband and move in with you as a boyfriend/girlfriend?"

"Um – yes?" he waited for a slap, or a disdainful comment, but none came. He glanced up at her fearfully. Lisbon was smiling, a dreamy look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"It's like a movie where all my dreams come true," she sighed happily, playing the part of the contented princess with relative ease, and then gasped. "Jane!"

"What's wrong?"

"I think she likes the idea."

"Huh?" Lisbon grabbed his hand and settled it on her stomach. The tiny girl inside was kicking wildly.

"Well, it _is_ a pretty brilliant idea if I do say so myself."

"You know, sweetie," Lisbon told her daughter, "You'd better stop before his ego gets any bigger."

"Can she call me Dad? or Daddy? or Father Dearest? or -"

"You know I haven't actually agreed yet."

"But you're going to," he told her, grinning.

"Maybe I'll say no just to spite you. How would you like that?" She did her best to cross her arms and glare at him, but it was difficult when he still had his hand on her belly, his eyes wide with the joy of another baby.

"You'll say yes," he said, confidently.

"How do you know?" she asked, the corners of her mouth betraying her attempt at looking stern.

"Because you are hopelessly in love and hopelessly hormonal."

"Shut up."

* * *

**Fin. **

**Review!**


End file.
